George Thompson, a British Wesleyan missionary to the Mendi Mission in Sierra Leone in the nineteenth century recounts a religious experience he had on 25th June 1854 with the people of Kaw Mendi. He notes that after he had preached to and exhorted the “heathen” many were delivered from the “bondage of Satan into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”
Traditional African religion has been the subject of vicious attacks at the hands of some Europeans since their arrival on the shores of Africa, a crusade presently taken over by some overzealous Africans. Traditional African religion has been deliberately misinterpreted to justify the derogatory tags attached to it. It has been called names, which neither reflects what the religion believes in nor practices. These names range from animism, fetishism, totemism, and ancestor worship to down right condemnation as a satanic religion.
Sir Samuel Baker, an explorer presenting a report to the Ethnological Society of London in 1887 on the Nilotes of Sudan reflects the perception of traditional African religion as a religion without a belief in a Supreme Being. He stated, “Without any exception, they are without a belief in a Supreme Being, neither have they any form of idolatry nor is the darkness of their minds enlightened even by a ray of superstition.”
In Some Letters from David Livingstone, 1840-1872, David Livingstone noted in reference to the Batlapi, Bakwain and Bakhatla of East Africa that, “At some remote period their ancestors appear to have been addicted to animal worship, for each tribe is called by some animal, by it they swear, and in general neither eat nor kill it, alleging as a cause that these animals are the friends of their tribes. Thus the word Batlapi, literally translated is ‘Men (of the) Fish’, Bakwain, ‘Men (of the) Crocodile, Bakhatla ‘Men (of the) Monkey etc.”
But did the African acknowledge and worship God? To the African, God is no stranger. This is borne out by the Akan proverb, “Obiara nkyere akoda Nyame.” Literally translated it means, “No one shows a child God.” To the African therefore, the knowledge of God is instinctive. This knowledge of God is articulated in names, prayers, invocations, songs, myths, stories, and religious ceremonies and in virtually everything that the African does.
It is widely acknowledged among Africans that God is the creator of the universe and humankind. This belief is expressed in the names by which He is called in numerous African languages. One Akan name for God, Borebore, for instance means “Excavator, Hewer, Carver, Creator, Originator, Inventor, Architect.” As Borebore, God is the designer and creator of humankind and the universe. The Akamba of Kenya also call Him Mumbi meaning “Creator” or “Maker” which also reflects the belief in His being the Creator.
Apart from God being acknowledged as the Creator, He is believed to be the provider of the necessities needed for maintaining His creation. This is succinctly expressed in the Ovimbundu name for God, Suku, which means “He who supplies the needs of His creatures.” The Asante of modern Ghana also see Him as the sole source of their lives and for this reason they refer to Him as Amosu, “the giver of rain” and Amowia, “the source of sunshine or light.” The significance of these names lies in the importance of rainfall and sunshine to the food that sustains humankind.
Among other African concepts of God is the belief that He is Omniscient, Omnipresent and Omnipotent. His Omniscience is limitless, infinite and absolute. There is therefore a common saying among the Yoruba that “only God is wise.” They also believe that God is “the Discerner of hearts” who sees both the inside and outside of man. The Bamum of Cameroon in their name for God, Njinyi or Nnui, which means “He who is every where”, expresses the idea of God’s Omnipresence. The Shilluk also say that He is like the wind or air.
That God is also omnipotent is evident in the Zulu description of Him as “He who bends down even majesties,” and “He who roars so that all nations be struck with terror.” For the Ngombe who live in the very thick forest of Zaire, which they continuously try to keep under control, the forest is a symbol of power. They therefore comprehend God’s omnipotence in relation to the forest and praise Him as “the one who clears the forest.”
One other concept of God is the belief that He is the ultimate Judge and his judgment is impartial. That is why the Nuer of Sudan for example believe that God is always right no matter what befalls them. This is based on the belief that “God evens things out, rewarding good to those who follow good conduct, and evil to those who follow evil conduct, and overlooking breaches done accidentally or in error.” The Ewes, Gas and Akans of Ghana also recognize God as the ultimate judge rewarding good and punishing evil in the popular saying “Me kwe ne Mawu”, “Nke ha Nyongmo” and “Me di a ma Nyame” respectively when someone does something to them. This literally means, “I have given it to God” which in fact means God will judge the matter.
The above concepts, which are by no means an exhaustive list of African conceptions of God shows that the African acknowledged the omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence of God and it was to Him that all worship, obedience, reverence, and adorations was given. This was manifested in worship; which may be defined as showing religious devotion through words or deeds to the divine, God in the African context. This religious devotion was externalized through sacrifices, offerings and prayers amongst others either through intermediaries or directly to God without any intermediary.
In Akan communities, an important feature of the courtyard was the Nyamedua or “altar to the Sky God.” It is in the form of a tree or a forked post between whose branches a pot or a calabash is wedged and into which sacrificial offerings are placed. Its name Nyamedua or “altar to the Sky of God” speaks volumes in that it shows that to the traditionalist, God is the recipient of the sacrifices and offerings. Another important feature of Nyamedua is the fact in homes where they were found, the oldest member would not eat until he/she had put some of the food into it for Nyame (God). Also in shrines, they were placed to the right of the shrine room entrance signifying the presence of God or that the activities of the shrine are dedicated to God. The Asante also when pouring libation first mention God because He is the Creator and the ultimate provider of their wants and needs.
It is also important to underscore certain beliefs and practices in traditional African religion that have led to its villification. Africans are not unique in their use of religious symbols, something referred to by Europeans as fetishism. In Christianity, some believe in the sacramental view of religious symbols e.g. medals like the crucifix worn by the Catholics and the icons used by the Orthodox Christians. The so-called “lesser god” is not God or a lesser God for that matter as is evident in the different generic names and attributes for the two. Rather, they are divine spirits of God, or angels, as Christians know them. Similarly, ancestral veneration in traditional African religion termed as ancestor worship by Europeans is no different from veneration of saints in Catholicism.
Yet, in spite of the enormous indisputable evidence which show that Africans worshipped and still worship God, in their own way – note that they call Him the same name with the same attributes in our local dialects – some still insist that Africans worship anything other than God. This illogical argument simply stems from the unfair principle that those who do not worship God the way we do it worship something other than God. This has been used at certain points in history to justify the sub-human treatment of the African and the colonisation of the continent.
It is important to recognise that only a better understanding and appreciation of our cultural values which invariably shapes our way of life would help eliminate the inferiority complex and thereby help promote a vision of ourselves as equals.
san-kofa
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